Machine for cutting and interfolding sheets of paper



L. A. STRAUBEL.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, I9I8-.

1 ,326, 986. Patented J an. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

L. A. STRAUBEL.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1918.

1,326,986, v Patented Jan. 6,1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2' L. A. STRAUBEL.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 191B.

iadisam m 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

L. A. STRAUBEL. MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND INTERFOLDING SHEETS OF PAPER- APPLICATION FILED MAY 23, 1918.

Patented Jail. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

LOUIS ALBERT STRAUBEIQOF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND INTERFOLDING- SHEETS OF PAPER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS A. STRAUBEL, a

I citizen of the. United States of America, re-

improvements in machines for cutting a plurality of Webs of papers transversely to form a continuous Web of overlapped sheets and for interfolcling such sheets.

The invention more particularly relates to improvements in machines of the type described in my prior Patents #1,242,262, #1,249,550and #1,253,644.

In the present invention the sheet material is out exclusively in a transverse direction, short of the edges of the web whereby a tie of a Width of approximately one inch is left uncut on each side to hold the interfolded packs together. The small tie provided at the edge of the sheet material enables the operator to sever a pack containing the re quired number of sheets from the web which issues from the machine. The cutting and trimming of the packs in required lengths is effected in another machine which is without the scope of the invention and therefore need not further be referred to.

It is an object of the invention to arrange the feed, guide and cutting rollers which act on the web material in its passage through the machine in overlapped relation whereby the initial threading between the operating parts is automatically effected and dispensing with the necessity of employing auxiliary means, such as fingers, threading devices, vacuum and the like, to insure a uniform travel of the material through the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide the guide rollers centrally of the bed rolls of the. machine in resilient engagement therewith.

A further object of the invention consti tutes the provision of means for adjusting the resilient engagement between said guide rollers and bed rolls.

A further object of the invention includes the provision of means on the presser or stripper fingers to engage the folded sheet upon iemoval from the bed rolls and to re- Specification of Letters Patent.

the following specification, the invention then consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail the embodi ment of the invention which, however, constitutes but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention-may be used.

In said drawings I Figure l is an end-elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a View of the machine from the opposite end to that shown in Fig. '1 and with the cutting and guiding rollers removed.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one side of the machine, the upper rollers being remeved to more .clearly disclose the presser fingers on its shaftand the means for driving the latter.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of one side of the machine and Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operationof the machine.

Referring to the drawings, 5 designates the main frame of an interfolding. machine and serving as a support for the improved cutting and guiding means presently to be described. As is indicated in Fig. '1 a pair of shafts 6 are journaled in bearings mounted on the machine frame 5 and extend transversely of the machine. The shafts are in parallel arrangement and spaced from one another to carry the body rolls 7 about which the mutually overlapped sheets or webs are trained to be conducted downwardly to the folding mechanism. Laterall-y of the shafts 6 shafts 8 are arranged carrying a plurality of guide rollers 9 to direct the web material onto the succeeding rollers which guide and cut the sheet material as hereinafter further Patented Jan. 6, 1920. Application filed May 23, 1918. Serial No. 236,117.

with a. plurality f rubber faced feed-rollers 12 in frictional ngagement with the appertaining body rolls 7. "Parallel to the shaft 11 a pair of shafts 13 for each body roll are' journaled in the bracket 10 and are likewise'equipped with a plurality of sleeves 14 provided with transversely directed blades 15 cooperating with longitudi- 'nal recesses 16 in the bed rolls to cut the sheet material trained around the bed rolls. As clearly indicated in Fig. 6 thesleeves 14 of each set of shafts 13 are arranged in staggered relation whereby the blades 15 act successively to produce a single transverse cut' in the'sheet material. Guide rollers 17 are arranged at equal distances from one another and are disposed. so that their peripheral portions areiin overlapping relation to the peripheral portions of the blades 15, whereby an equal and umform guiding is obtained for' the entire width of the sheet material passing through the cutting means, avoiding the tendency of the sheets to turn up immediately subsequent or prior to the cutting operation. and dispens-- ingwith the necessity of providing a vacuum or other-auxiliary means to maintain the sheets in frictional engagement with the bed rolls 7.

The transverse cutting blades of each bed roll and the recesses of the latter are so arranged that the sheets pass between the "andthe appertaining'bed roll. The transverse cutting blades as will be recognized from Fig. 6 effect a continuous cut in transverse direction of the web which cut, however, stops short of' the longitudinal edges of the web whereby ties of a width of ap-' proximately one inch are obtained which leave the sheets continuous and interconnected-but which connectlon may be easily,

broken when after inter-folding has been' effected, a pack of the required number of sheets'has been formed.

To guide the sheets after passing the transverse cutting blades 15 for proper movement between the body rolls a pair of shafts 19 are arranged a at equal distances from the longitudinal axis of the machine and journaled in bearings 20 provided on transverse rails 21. secured to the brackets 10. To the shafts 19 a plurality of arms 22 are secured which are bifurcated to receive between their prongs guide rollers 17 which are adapted to be held in {resilient engagement with the bed rolls 7 and which,

as previously stated, have their peripheral portions in overlappingrelation with resp-ect to the blade 15. The hubs of the arms 22 are extended beyond the shafts 20 and the extensions 23 of the arms are interconnected by bolts 24 and tension springs 25. It is at once apparent that by adjusting the. bolt 24 the tension under which the roller 17 is held in engagement with the appertaining bed roll 7 may be adjusted to compensate for wear of the parts due to continuous operation. The machine is supplied with sheet material 27 by a pair of storage rolls (not shown) at one side of the machine and the material from the lower roll is threaded immediately between the adjacent bed roll,7 and the feed rollers 12 and contacts with the guide rollers 9. The material 27 from the upperstorage roll is trained about a pair of guide rolls 26 at the upper end of the bracket 10, passes then downwardly encompassing the other guide rolls 9 and is threaded between the other bed roll 7and the feed'rollers 12 into the machine. Thus one side of the machine is entirely open and ,access may be had tudinal shafts 33 journaled in the frame 3 outwardlyof the stub-shafts 29. Due to this arrangement rotation of the shaft will result in a rocking motion of the stub shafts 29. Carried on each stub shaft 29 plates 34 secured to the stub shaft and connected by an arcuate wall 35 at theperipln' cry of the'end plates and a radially extendlng wall 36 forming the extension of said wall 35. -The free end of the arcuate wall 35 serves as an abutment to limit the movement of a finger 37. the outer end of which 1s formed to provide a. binding ledge 38' while its inner end is pivoted as at 39 to the wall 36 and is placed under the influence of a spring 40 normally urging said fi'igcr against the free edge of the arcuate wall 35.

The end plate 34, the arcuate wall 35 and the radial wall 36 are preferably formed-integral as a single casting.

A plate 41 reciprocatesin slots-42 in the end .plates 34 and is slidably maintained on the outer face of the radial wall 36. The outer end of these plates 41 which clamp the overlapped sheets to the appertainingfoldmg drum has a. lug directed toward the arcuate wall 35 to form a clamping lip 43 adapted to coact with said wall. The 11p is normally urged into clamping engagement by a series of extensible springs 44 interposed between the wall 36 and lugs 45 at the inner end of the plate 41.

The ends of the clamping lips 43 are adapted to coiiperate with the bending ledge 38 of the opposite folding drum to clamp the paper therebetween whereby a fold in the paper is provided which fold is received between the clamping lip- 43 and its wall 35. An arm 46 is pivoted to each stub shaft 29 and is secured in position by a screw 47 extending through a slot 48 in said arm and entering into threading engagement with the end plate 34. Each pair of arms carry at the outer ends a transverse blade 49 adapted to force the fold'between the wall 35 and the lip 43.

The movement of the clamping plates 41 is effected independently of the folding drums by canrdisks 50 (Fig. 2) loosely mounted 011 .the stub shaft 29 at the ends of the folding members and controlling rollers 51 carried on the ends of the clamping plates 41. To the cam disks 50 links 52 are pivotally secured which at the other ends embrace cams 53 on the shafts 33.

The bending ledge 38 comes into contact with the opposite clamping lip before the same reaches its upper limit and thereby stretches the paper before the opposite clamping lip releases the paper. The bending ledge, therefore, does not only bend the paper prior to being acted on by the tucking blade but it also prevents the upper end of the sheet from dropping or sagging.

The folding members are continuously rocked, approximately through one quarter of a revolution and the upper limit of oscillation if the bending ledges 38 and clamping lips 43 lies substantially in the horizontal plane passing through the axis of oscillation of the folding member. The lower limit of oscillationof the clamping lip is at the vertical plane passingthrough the axis of oscillation of the folding members, so that the folds held by the clam ing lips are disposed horizontally when re eased.

As the inner side of a clamping member rocks upwardly, its clamping lips 53 will move into the recess of the bending ledge 38 to bend the paper and prepare the same for the action of the tucking blade 49 above the ledge 38. The tucking blade 49 moves then downwardly between its appertaining ledges 38 and the wall 35 of the drum and forces the fold of paper between the lip 43 and thewall 35. The tucking blade is then moved upwardly and the clamping plate 41 moves inwardly whereby its lip43 clamps the fold against the wall 35. When the fold carrying member reaches its lower limit of oscillation the fold of the sheet is released by engagement of the rollers-51 of the plate 41 with portions 54 of the cams 50. This release occurs when the clamping lip 43 of means a series of presser or stripper fingers 55 are disposed at each side of the folding drums on shafts 56 each of which is rocked by means of an arm 57, carried by said shaft and carrying a roller in engagement with a cam 58 on the corresponding shaft A spring 59 connects the lower ends of arms 60 secured to the shafts 56 whereby the fingers 55 are held by the cam in engage ment with the folded sheet material. The fingers are all raised only momentarily by the cam incidentally to the releasing movement of the clamping plates. In the raised position the fingers enter grooves 84 formed in the wall of the folding members to en gage the upper faces of the sheet material.

The presser fingers 55 are provided with fiat springs 61 pivotally mounted to said fingers intermediate their ends and maintained in position by arms 62, secured to a transverse shaft 63 which extends through all of the presser fingers of one set (Fig. 5). At the outer end of this shaft 63 an arm 64 is provided bifurcated at its outer end to carry a roller 65 in engagement with the cam 66 loosely maintained on the shaft 56. Integral with the cam 66 or secured thereto is a gear 67 meshing with a gear' 68 keyed to the shaft 33; set collars 69 are placed on each side of the gear 67 and a cam 66 to prevent displacement thereof. The rotation of the cam 66 as is obvious is independent of the revolution of the shaft 56 on which it is loosely mounted. The action of the gears and cam is so timed as to bring the spring 61 against the under side of the presser fingers 55 when the same are in the upward position to receive a folded sheet. When the clamping Ii 43 carries a folded sheet around toward t e bottom, the edges of the sheet will be received between the spring 61 and the finger 55 and is subsequently released by drawing the spring 61 backwardl over an incline as indicated in Fig. 7.

The drive to the various parts of the machine is obtained from one of the shafts 33 which is rotated by any suitable source of power. Gears 70 of theshafts 33 mesh with other gears 71 which actuate gears 72 keyed to the shafts 6. The gear wheel 72 of each bed roll shaft 6 meshes with a gear 82 on the adjacent ends of the shafts l1 and 13. The gears 82 by reason of their proximity are laterally spaced, the gear 72 having a width sufficient to mesh with both of said gears 82.

' The conveyer b alts 73 are trained around sprocket wheels 74 mounted on a shaft 75, journaled in the main frame 5. One end of the shaft carries a ratchet wheel 76 which is engaged by a pawl 77 of a lever 78 loosely mounted on the shaft 75. The outer end of the lever 78 is interconnected by a pitman 79 to a crank pin 80 on the outer end of one of the shafts 29.

Upon rotation of the shaft 29 an intermittent movement is imparted to the shaft 75. The remote end of the conveyer chains encompasses sprocket wheels 81 mounted on a shaft 83 also secured to the main frame. 4, The drawings illustrate the preferred em- 'bodiznent of my invention by way of example. It is understood that a large numher of alterations and modifications will suggest themselves to thoseversed in the art and I, therefore, do not intend to limit myself'to the structure precisely as shown, but want to avail myself of any changes constituting departures within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: i 1. In a machine of the character described, in combination with a bed roll, a plurality of feed rollers engaging said bed roll atone side thereof, a rotatable transverse cut-' ting means acting on a web of work material fed over the carrier cncompassing said bedl roll, and guide rollers engaging said bed 80 roll opposite that side in engagement with the feed rollers, said transverse cutting means and said feed and guide rollersv having peripheral portions in overlapped relation to guide work material between them and said bed roll.

2. In a machine of the character dej scribed, in combination with a bed roll, a

plurality of feed rollers in transverse alinement engaging said bed roll at one side 40 thereof, a plurality of rollers having knife blades to cut the material on the bed roll in transverse direction and guide rollers engaging said bed roll at the other side thereof, said feed and guide rollers and blade equipped rollers having peripheral portions in overlapped relation to guide work ma-' terial between them and said bedroll.

In a machine of the character described, in combination with a bed roll, a shaft carrying a plurality of spaced feed rollers in engagement with said bed roll, a pair of shafts parallel to said bed roll and equipped with blade carrying rollers to cut the material on the bed roll in transverse direction, and a plurality of guide rollers engaging said bed roll opposite that side engaged by said feed rollers all of said feed, guide, and cutting rollers having peripheral portions in overlapped relation to guide wzfi'k material between them and said bed r0 4. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a pair of bed rolls, transverse cutting means acting on material encompassing said bed rolls, sets of guide rollers interposed between said bed rolls, and adjustable means for maintaining said sets of guide rollers in yielding engagement with appertaining bed rolls.

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, afpair of bed'rolls, transverse cutting means acting on material encompassing said bed rolls, a pair of shafts disposed above said bed rolls, guide rollers loosely secured to said shafts, and adjustable means for maintaining yielding engagement between said guide rollers and appertaining bed rolls.'

6. In a .machine of the character described, in combination, a pair of bed rolls, transverse cutting means acting on material encompassing said bed rolls, a pair of shafts above said' bed rolls, guide rollers secured to said shafts, and adjustable spring connections for said guide rollers to maintain the same in resilient engagement'with appertaining bed rolls. 4

7, In a machine of the character described, in combination, a pair of bed rolls, transverse cutting means acting on material encompassing said bed rolls, a pair of shafts above saidbed rolls, arms loosely mounted on said shafts, roller's carried by said arms and adjustable spring connections for said arms to maintain said guide rollers in engagement with the appertaining bed rolls.

n testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

' Louis ALBERT STRAUBEL. 

